More than half of the world population is at risk of vector-borne diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya, zika, yellow fever, leishmaniasis, chagas disease, and malaria, with highest incidences in tropical regions. In Ecuador, vector-borne diseases are present from coastal and Amazonian regions to the Andes Mountains; however, a detailed characterization of the distribution of their vectors has never been carried out. We estimate the distribution of 14 vectors of the above vector-borne diseases under present-day and future climates. Our results consistently suggest that climate warming is likely threatening some vector species with extinction, locally or completely. These results suggest that climate change could reduce the burden of specific vector species. Other vector species are likely to shift and constrain their geographic range to the highlands in Ecuador potentially affecting novel areas and populations. These forecasts show the need for development of early prevention strategies for vector species currently absent in areas projected as suitable under future climate conditions. Informed interventions could reduce the risk of human exposure to vector species with distributional shifts, in response to current and future climate changes. Based on the mixed effects of future climate on human exposure to disease vectors, we argue that research on vector-borne diseases should be cross-scale and include climatic, demographic, and landscape factors, as well as forces facilitating disease transmission at fine scales.

Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has caused the greatest known loss of biodiversity due to an infectious disease. We used Bd infection data from quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays of amphibian skin swabs collected across Chile during 2008–2018 to model Bd occurrence with the aim to determine bioclimatic and anthropogenic variables associated with Bd infection. Also, we used Bd presence/absence records to identify geographical Bd high-risk areas and compare Bd prevalence and infection loads between amphibian families, ecoregions, and host ecology. Data comprised 4155 Bd-specific qPCR assays from 162 locations across a latitudinal gradient of 3700 km (18º to 51ºS). Results showed a significant clustering of Bd associated with urban centres and anthropogenically highly disturbed ecosystems in central-south Chile. Both Bd prevalence and Bd infection loads were higher in aquatic than terrestrial amphibian species. Our model indicated positive associations of Bd prevalence with altitude, temperature, precipitation and human-modified landscapes. Also, we found that macroscale drivers, such as land use change and climate, shape the occurrence of Bd at the landscape level. Our study provides with new evidence that can improve the effectiveness of strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss due to amphibian chytridiomycosis.

Sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi) are external parasites that affect farmed salmonids in Chile, and the scale of their sanitary and economic impact cannot be overstated. Even though space–time patterns suppose parasite aggregation, specific locations related to different infestation levels, as well as their associated factors across the geographic range involved, had not been investigated as of the writing of the present article. The understanding of the effects and factors entailed by the presence of C. rogercresseyi may be deemed a key element of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In the present study, the multivariate spatial scan statistic was used to identify geographic areas and times of C. rogercresseyi infestation and to estimate the factors associated with such patterns. We used official C. rogercresseyi monitoring data at the farm level, with a set of 13 covariates, to provide adjustment within the analyses. The analyses were carried out for a period of 5 years (2012–2016), and they included three fish species (Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and Oncorhynchus kisutch) in order to assess the consistency of the identified clusters. A retrospective multinomial, spatial, and temporal scan test was implemented to identify farm clusters of either of the different categories of C. rogercresseyi infested farms: baseline, medium, and high, based on the control chemical threshold established by the health authority. The baseline represents adequate farm performance against C. rogercresseyi infestation. Then, production and environmental factors of the medium and high infestation farms were compared with the baseline using regression techniques. The results revealed a total of 26 clusters (p < 0.001), of which 12 correspond to baseline, 1 to medium, and the remaining 13 to high infestation clusters. In general, baseline clusters are detected in a latitudinal gradient on estuarine areas, with increasing relative risks to complex island water systems. There is a spatial structure in specific sites, north of Los Lagos Region and central Aysén Region, with high infestation clusters and epidemic peaks during 2013. In addition, average weight, salmon species, chemotherapeutants, latitude, temperature, salinity, and year category are factors associated with these C. rogercresseyi patterns. Recommendations for an IPM plan are provided, along with a discussion that considers the involvement of stock density thresholds by salmon species and the spatial structure of the efficacy of chemical control, both intended to avoid the advance of resistance and to minimize environmental residues.

La resistencia bacteriana es una amenaza creciente para la salud pública mundial. El mal uso y uso excesivo de antimicrobianos en personas y animales está acelerando este proceso. En el caso de residuos antimicrobianos en productos de origen animal, se sabe que producen reacciones alérgicas, así como inducción de resistencia en bacterias transmitidas por alimentos como Salmonella, Campylobacter y Escherichia coli. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo detectar la presencia de residuos de quinolonas en carne bovina de venta en mercados municipales de la ciudad de Guatemala. Se obtuvieron 161 muestras para análisis. La detección de quinolonas se realizó por metodología de Inmunoensayo Asociado a Enzima (Elisa). Siete de 161 (5%) contenían residuos de quinolonas. Los niveles medios (desviación estándar) detectados fueron 16.497(1.69) ?g/kg; ningún límite fue superior al límite máximo residual permitido (100 ?g/kg). Este estudio indicó que existen residuos de antibiótico en algunas carnes de res en Guatemala.

La mastitis es un importante problema en granjas de producción lechera alrededor del mundo y usualmente se trata con antibióticos. Sin embargo, las bacterias −que son los agentes causales usuales− van volviéndose resistentes a los antibióticos de uso común. Con el objetivo de generar información sobre esta situación en Honduras, realizamos un estudio retrospectivo documental examinando los registros oficiales de aislamientos de bacterias y pruebas de resistencia antibiótica llevados a cabo en muestras de leche de casos de mastitis en vacas, entre 2013 y 2018. Examinamos 235 casos de aislamiento bacteriano y pruebas de sensibilidad a 15 antibióticos (amoxicilina + ácido clavulánico, ampicilina, ceftiofur, ceftriaxona, enrofloxacina, ciprofloxacina, oxacilina, doxiciclina, neomicina, trimetoprim + sulfametoxazol, gentamicina, tetraciclina, eritromicina y penicilina). Los taxones más frecuentemente aislados fueron Staphylococcus spp. (168 casos), seguido por Streptococcus spp. (31 casos), Corynebacterium spp. (14 casos), Escherichia coli (13 casos), Klebsiella spp. (cinco casos), Enterobacter sp. (un caso), Pasteurella sp. (un caso) y Pseudomonas sp. (un caso). Encontramos casos de resistencia a prácticamente todos los antibióticos, aunque los patrones de resistencia fueron poco comunes.